Annoyed by fibroids

Joanie CoxSouth Florida Queen B

“I didn’t really have much to say the whole time I was there/So I just left a big brown bloodstain/On their white chair.”—Ani DiFranco, “Blood in the Boardroom.”

It would happen to me in the worst possible situations — at birthday parties, riding in cars, even church. I’d feel this familiar dampness between my legs, reach behind me and know there was a giant bloodstain on the back of whatever I was wearing. It was the most mortifying feeling on Earth to know this crimson tide was now visible for all to see like a scarlet badge of embarrassment.

For years, I kept a jacket within arm’s length so I could wrap it around my waist to camouflage my period stain. But this wasn’t just any period stain. It was the blood that refused to stop flowing for 10 days a month because a giant fibroid decided to take up residence in my uterus. No matter how many pads I put on, it still went through. I would get up and go to work, interview celebrities and smile like everything was fine, but it wasn’t.

This unwanted invader caused me so many health problems for three solid years, robbing my body of nutrients, making me anemic, depleting my energy and giving me agonizing cramps that felt like a truck was driving over my midsection. Not to mention the pain of embarrassment when I’d ruin antique furniture and way too many designer pants.

Why did I go through this for so long? My doctors reassured me this was “normal,” and I just learned how to cope, making sure I always had plenty of pads, wore the right clothing and just prayed I wouldn’t have a public incident. Then I finally found a physician who listened to me, looked closer and confirmed that all I was going through was in fact not normal. I was thrilled to know that I no longer had to endure this internal menace.

Dr. Gostal Arcelin in Boca Raton removed my basketball-sized uterine fibroid tumor late last year, and it was the best decision I ever made.

I feel as if my energy is restored, my periods are normal, and I no longer have to fear that time of the month. I am a happy, healthy woman again. All it took was a doctor who listened, knew I was needlessly suffering and finally helping me to do something about it.

As I started to tell my story to others, it turns out there are millions out there who are going through this. Studies estimate that 25 percent of women have uterine fibroids; and many don’t even know they have them. Most of the time these benign growths are harmless, not causing any problems. But some women with fibroids suffer with anemia, pelvic pain, prolonged periods, and backaches from these noncancerous tumors. There are even women who have fertility or pregnancy problems because of these growths.

My advice to women who have prolonged and heavy periods, cramps or pregnancy issues should see a doctor to confirm if fibroids may be the cause. Don’t ignore your body’s signals. Life is too short spend half the month with a jacket tied around your waist.